Big Girls Need Love Too
by Expressive Dissonance
Summary: AU. The day Ino Yamanaka met her first friend, she also met the love of her life. Ino/Gaara.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Still looking for a beta. ._.

Summary: The day Ino Yamanaka met her first friend, she also met the love of her life. A story told in three parts.

* * *

"_Piggy piggy piggy_!"

The jeering taunts of her classmates rang in her ears. It was always like this. No matter how much she tried to block it out, no matter how much she tried to tell herself that it didn't phase her or that she didn't care, it never seemed to work.

Because she did care. She cared very, very much.

Ino Yamanaka felt her eyes watering as she clenched her fists. Why? _Why_ was everyone always making fun of her for being fat? It was bad enough that they mocked her in school and gave her humiliating nicknames, but now they had begun following her outside whenever she had to walk home alone. Her dad was a police officer, often too busy to come and take her home, and her mother was busy in their family's flower shop.

"Hey Ino-rmous, why don't you go be our beach ball?"

More mocking, more laughter.

"_Shut up_!" she screamed, eyes shut tightly as she lowered her head in mortified anger.

The other children quieted, temporarily silenced by the sound, but the leader soon sneered, her beady little eyes glaring at Ino as she daringly stepped up to the cowering blonde. Ino glanced up in confusion at the smaller girl only to be met by a forceful push that sent her bowling over into the school's sandbox.

Laughter sprang up and one of the girls pointed, "Now she looks more like a beached _whale_!"

"What a _loser_!"

"Pfft, and she thinks _she_ can have Sasuke-kun?"

"Let's go," the leader commanded, walking as the other girls began tittering at Ino's trembling form.

Ino couldn't help herself. She began crying even harder. She was lying face down on the ground, her pretty new dress utterly ruined as sand began to itch in uncomfortable places. And the light sniffles she had been trying to suppress developed into full blown sobs. She sat up as best she could, wailing her heart out.

"I h-hate t-this! I ha-ate them!" she hiccuped, curling her small arms around her raised knees.

...

* * *

Unbeknownst to the sobbing child, a small, nearly-hidden figure had seen the whole exchange from the dark shadow of a tire swing hidden under the trees. Green eyes watched as the girl was pushed and her subsequent attempt to shrink away from the world.

His name was Gaara. Today was supposed to be his last day here at this tiny school with its petty-minded children, and he had come out here to be away from all the nervous stares and open whispers of his classmates. His uncle had come to take him away from his neglectful father, but he would have to go live in Suna now, away from the only home he'd ever known.

The chubby girl was huddled miserably in the sandbox, crying her eyes out. Gaara felt his own chest tighten in sympathy; he knew how badly words could hurt, and even worse, how they stung and clung to you like a thick poison when there was no one else there. His hands clenched in the soft, furry pelt of his favorite teddy bear.

His gaze dropped to the bear, then rose to hesitantly consider the crying girl. It had always been there for him when he'd been alone, going in and out of the hospital, and no one had wanted to be around his sickly, frail form. It had supposedly been something his mother had picked out for him before he was born, but had died before getting the chance to give it him. Could he really give up his closest friend...?

A small, miserable hiccup met his ears.

Almost without his consent, his short legs were on the ground and lightly walking towards the girl, his tiny green converses making soft crunches on the dead autumn leaves. The girl did not look up, and Gaara stood awkwardly before her, staring intently down at her shaking form, wondering how he was supposed to get her attention.

"Here."

Ino jerked in surprise as something soft brushed against her arm. Confused, she peered up through damp lashes at the brown teddy bear currently touching her. It was missing an eye, its ragged brown fur had patches missing in it, and there was what looked like a deep tear in its front leg. It looked, for lack of a better word, well-loved. Her eyes strayed upwards to the person holding it.

The boy looked about her age with pale, almost sickly looking skin and hair the color of cherry juice. He was very studiously trying not to look her in the face but she could tell that he was talking to her because he was the only one around.

...why was he trying to give her his bear?

She stared at the stuffed animal, puzzled as she uncurled one fist to pet a fuzzy ear. Normally the other kids didn't talk to her unless they were going to tease her, but this boy was offering her a _gift_. She looked up at the boy with shimmering blue eyes, willing him to look at her and explain. "I...I don't..._why_?"

He seemed to make an impatient motion and promptly shoved the bear into her hand. Automatically, her fingers clasped onto it and she was suddenly met with the brightest, prettiest pair of green eyes she'd ever seen. His barely-there eyebrows were furrowed slightly and a faint blush made all the freckles on his nose stand out.

"You can have him," he muttered, looking down once more.

Ino's eyes rounded in surprise. "Won't you miss-"

The red-headed boy cut her words off with a sharp shake of his head. "You need him more," he insisted, giving her a tentative smile.

"But..." Unthinkingly, Ino had reached forward and touched the boy's arm, fully prepared to give him his toy back. He recoiled in surprise, having not seen her begin the motion, and his beautiful eyes snapped down to her own before he made a jerky motion to dislodge her arm and abruptly backed away.

"I gotta go," he whispered and took off running from the park without further explanation.

"H-hey, wait up!" Ino cried, scrambling to her feet to follow, but he was far too fast and she was far too self-conscious to run.

And so Ino stood alone in the park, staring after the long since disappeared boy, the only thing on her mind sad seafoam eyes as she tightly held onto a teddy bear from a boy who could be her first friend.

She wished he'd told her his name.

...

* * *

An hour later, when a worn out Ino would make it home and promptly launch herself into her mother's arms, a little redheaded boy would be on a train riding far far away from Konoha, his arms empty, but his heart feeling warmed by the events of that day. When asked by one of his siblings over his silence and where his bear had gone, he would just shake his head and look out the window, his eyes seeing but not seeing the passing scenery while his hands clutched lightly at the fabric over his heart.

Maybe one day...he'd meet that girl again.

...

* * *

ED: Part 1 of 3.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: AU. The day Ino met her first friend, she also met the love of her life. Part 2 of 3.

* * *

The cafe was Ino's favorite place in the whole world. It was small, quaint, and it had pastries to die for. The twenty-five year old brushed her long blonde hair across her shoulder as she stared out the window.

She'd come a long way from that chubby little girl with no friends. Now she was thin, kickass and the envy of thousands of girls around the country. It was funny how a stuffed animal on its last legs and a boy she didn't even know had given her the courage to make something of herself.

Her pink haired friend watched her over the rim of her latte and smiled. "Something wrong, Ino?"

Ino sniffed and grinned at her best friend. "Nah, Sakura, I'm just feeling kind of nostalgic, ya know? It's been awhile since I've been in Konoha."

She was remembering her younger days. When she'd been alone and a big crybaby, and she'd met her knight in shining armor, who'd left her a noble servant for her to cuddle with and be comforted by during rough times. She chuckled at her own girlish fantasies.

"Ah," Sakura said in understanding. She had met Ino in middle school and the two had both become fast friends-and rivals-over their mutual infatuation with Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura had helped Ino with her dieting, and Ino had in turn helped Sakura get over her issues with her forehead.

In the end, both girls had realized how childish it was to compete over a boy more interested in himself and improved themselves for their own satisfaction.

"Who would've thought that Ino-pig would become a famous model?" Sakura said, cheekily, raising her latte in a playful salute.

"I know, right?" Ino agreed, eyes misted over with the memories of teasing and loneliness that had dominated her life before she'd met Sakura. She smiled and tapped her own cappuccino against Sakura's cup. "Good things come to those who work for it, right Forehead?"

"Here here!"

The faint jingle of the cafe doors opening briefly caught their attention and both women glanced over like the nosy females they were.

Ino's breath caught.

The man who had just walked in was beyond hot. He was goddamn _sizzling_. Even Sakura had sat up a little straighter in her seat to give him a more thorough once over.

Crimson locks fell messily over an equally red tattoo; just beneath the oddly bright hair color, Ino caught a glimpse of delicate, yet firmly chiseled features that made the man toe the fine line between pretty and handsome. The striking eyes that were somewhere between green and blue made something in Ino _click_ with recognition. Her own baby blues stared intensely at the fine male specimen making his way to the counter to order.

"Holy shit, Ino!" Sakura whispered, dramatically fanning herself. "Did we just die and go to heaven?"

"Heh, it's possible," Ino joked distractedly, eyes still on the strange male. _I swear I've seen him somewhere before, but _where_?_

"Jeez Ino, you'd think you were trying to stare a hole in the guy's head or strip him down with your eyes with how hard you're glaring at him."

Ino blushed as the stranger looked over, his eyes immediately meeting her own. She quickly looked away, and scowled at her pink haired friend, who was snickering at the exchange. "Shut up, Forehead!" she growled, sipping at her drink as casually as possible.

After she was certain her cheeks had cooled, Ino flipped her hair over one eye, artfully keeping it hidden so that she could discreetly peek through the thick strands. The man was sitting in one of the single booths, a newspaper and some steaming beverage in hand. A small, nondescript pair of glasses was perched precariously on his nose, and Ino had to resist the urge to tug them up and open the top two buttons on his dress shirt. The guy was model material and damn fine to boot.

"-over there already, Ino," Sakura muttered, and Ino blinked in surprise as she glanced back at her bestie.

"Huh?" she asked, rather lost.

Sakura sighed in annoyance. "Go talk to him already! You obviously want to, and he's been peeking over here at you since you first started staring at him." The pink haired woman smirked. "Maybe he digs crazy stalker blondes though, Pig."

"Oh, _bite_ me," Ino automatically retorted, rapidly gathering her stuff so that they could leave. Sakura merely snickered and grasped her own cup as she followed.

As they made to pass by, a calloused hand latched onto her wrist, and Ino stopped in surprise. The redhead stared at her, his brilliant teal eyes both curious and slightly wary. "You look familiar," he said in a soft, yet deep, raspy voice. "Have we met before?"

"Oh, like she hasn't heard _that_ before," Ino heard Sakura mutter, but the blonde was too busy taking in those striking features of his from up close to really take much notice of her friend as the other woman rolled her eyes and walked out of the cafe.

"I felt the same," she admitted, feeling oddly disappointed when the stranger suddenly released her wrist. "Did you live here in Konoha?"

"I left when I was I was six," the man said apologetically. "I was pretty quiet and sickly before I left to live with my uncle," he explained, and again Ino felt that quiet _click_ of recognition in her brain.

_Could he be...?_

"Did...did you have a little teddy bear," she ventured, eyes entirely focused on his face for a response; if she hadn't been looking she would have missed the subtle flicker of surprise that crossed the man's eyes."...one that was missing an eye that you gave to a little girl?"

"Yeah," the man admitted, glancing away with a hint of embarrassment. Ino felt her lips twitch at the faint redness covering the bridge of his cute nose.

_I was right!_ She grinned at him, her eyes triumphant as she checked him out once more. "_You _certainly grew up well, my knight in shining armor!"

"You...you did well for yourself," the man murmured almost shyly, and Ino suddenly knew without a doubt that this man would be _hers._

She thrust her manicured hand at his face and waved it, amused when he stared at it in confusion for nearly a minute before gently taking it into his own. "I'm Ino Yamanaka," she practically purred, vigorously shaking his hand. Her blue eyes were half-lidded and sly as she said softly, "I never did get to thank you for being so _nice_ to me back then."

"Gaara Sabaku," he declared cautiously, and blinked in surprise at the business card that he nearly had to cross his eyes to read as it magically appeared in his face.

"Call me," she demanded.

Operation Get the Guy was now in session.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Finished! A note to all writers: It is horribly awkward trying to write porn while your father is staring at you over your computer screen demanding why you keep smiling so hard.

Summary: AU. The day Ino Yamanaka met her first friend, she also met the love of her life. Part 3 of 3.

Warnings: Smex. Of the male and female variety.

…

* * *

The first date is quiet, weighted, and more than slightly awkward.

As directed Gaara had called Ino, and she had been so delighted that she had immediately demanded that they go out on a dinner date to become better 'friends'. It had seemed like a simple idea at the time, and a brilliantly executed one at that, but Ino had forgotten to take one very, _very_ important factor into mind.

Gaara was horribly shy and distrustful.

It had started well enough, what with Ino's talent for chattering with people shining through like a beacon, but then she'd run out of things to say and had finally stopped talking _at_ Gaara when she realized that he wasn't talking _back_. She'd frowned in confusion as he gulped down a martini without taking a single breather, his eyes openly broadcasting his discomfort with the situation.

"You're quiet," Ino said, thoughtfully tapping a nail against her glossed lips. "Tell me about yourself. What do you do? Where did you go after you left Konoha? Did you think of me?"

"I write, Suna, and...sometimes," he muttered, seafoam eyes peering at her briefly for a reaction before glancing away to hail a wandering waiter.

Ino was both amused and dismayed by the lack of information, but soldiered on anyway. _Patience. Get him to open up, make him realize you're made for each other, then pick out your wedding gown!_

Even though it was all kinds of impolite, Ino leaned her elbows on the table and laced her elegant fingers together before resting her chin on top. A light, deliberate roll of her shoulder revealed a lacy cream colored bra strap; her smile was just slightly predatory as she asked, "What _kind_ of things do you write?"

Her date cleared his throat; to her delight, she managed to spot the rapid reddening of his ears, but he was relatively calm-faced as he straightened in his chair and reached for his newest drink. One restrained gulp later, and Gaara seemed to have regained enough composure that he could look at Ino and give her a tight smile. "Supernatural romances."

"Oh?" Ino asked, even though she already knows this little tidbit. She'd already called around and found out all she can about her knight in shining armor, but she wanted to hear it from _him_.

But he didn't elaborate. And before she can pressure him, the food arrived, and Ino may have been just the tiniest bit (ok, _a lot_) insulted that he looked relieved when they part ways after a bit more faltering attempts at conversation by herself.

...

* * *

Later, when she had gotten back home, alone, discouraged and disappointed, a single speed dial and the sound of her best friend's knowing, "What did he do?" were enough to make her lips start to quiver.

She explained what a disaster the date was, the lack of communication, and her overwhelming sense of disappointment while her best friend listened on in silence. Her hands were unusually rough on Mr. Fuzzems as she squeezed him in her arms.

"Was I wrong, Sakura? Did I make something out of nothing?" Ino gasped, nuzzling the ratty old bear.

"Ino."

"God, I've been so selfish! What if he just indulged me but thinks I'm some kind of horrifying stalker?"

"Ino!"

"Now I'm gonna have to give back Mr. Fuzzems and sleep all alone again," she sobbed.

"_Ino! Stop spazzing and listen for a second, will you?_"

"Ok," Ino agreed in a small voice, holding back a small sniffle. The no-nonsense tone of Sakura's voice wass not unkind, but it _was_ forceful enough to get the message across, _'Shut up and listen, woman.'_

"First, there was _definitely_ something there. I saw it, you saw it; hell, any blind person on the other side of the _country_ could see it! Second, since when did you, Ino Yamanaka, not get what you want?"

"But, what if he doesn't want what I want? What if he doesn't want _me_?" Ino asked quietly.

"Then _make _him want you," Sakura said, and the devious smile in her voice is terrifyingly clear.

...

* * *

Ino takes that advice to heart. The next day, she called Gaara, fully prepared to try and convince him to give them another shot and is pleasantly surprised when he haltingly and awkwardly asks for a second date without her prompting.

Of course she was over the moon, but she graciously accepted Gaara's offer and there were far more weighted stares and nervous glances this time around, but Gaara actually tried to make small talk with her. He told her with great hesitation and a light sigh that the blonde heroine in his books is based on a young woman who had grown up from a lonely little girl and become a police officer in order to find her parents' murderers only to fall in love with a cold-hearted vampire who suspiciously resembled Gaara himself. His face was impassive, but his eyes were studiously avoiding hers and his entire face was red-ears included.

Ino melted and her resolve was reinforced; no _way_ is Gaara getting away from her now.

...

* * *

Their next few dates are more open and Gaara was getting suspiciously chatty with her, despite his continued tendency to try and not look _at_ her while looking at her. She suspected that he thought it rude to stare at her while she blatantly flaunted her assets; she thought it was terribly cute how he tried to protect her virtue from himself when she wanted to do things that were as far from virtuous as possible with him.

Definitely a keeper.

Then one day, they took a different approach. Ino insisted that they head to a club. Her blood was singing for movement and action, and Gaara uneasily agreed.

The first drink loosened them up. The second helped them cut loose and join the pounding ebb and flow of writhing bodies on the dance floor. The ones after that (Ino lost count around four or five) had them both nearly humping and grinding each other into the ground on the dance floor.

Somewhere during the blur of flashing lights and desire-filled blue-green eyes, Ino giggled and pressed herself flush to Gaara before grabbing his crotch through his jeans and moaning, "Home, _now_."

Turns out, Gaara is not _quite_ as shy as she thought after all.

...

* * *

Ino moaned as her breasts were mouthed through her thin shirt. Her hands are darting all over the place; through Gaara's hair, across his back, and his shoulders, until they urgently reached down and tugged at Gaara's stuffy dress shirt so that she can blissfully run her palms over his muscular abdomen. The redhead tensed under the assault and tried capturing her lips with his own in retaliation even as he further backed her into the room. The door clicked closed just as her back hit the wall, and her baby blue eyes are bright in the darkness of her apartment.

Somewhere along the way, her skirt ended up bunched around her waist and one of her legs wrapped tantalizingly around Gaara's waist. One of his rough hands caressed her smooth thigh, and he marveled silently at the silky smooth skin as his fingers teasingly plucked at the lacy designer panties currently blocking him from his goal. Ino writhed against him desperately, and a quick tug undid the well-hidden button clasp. Ino gasped as the first of many busy fingers sank into her aching warmth, lightly rubbing and teasing her in small circles until her body felt like it was going to spontaneously combust from all the stimulation. The quick, sharp thrusts sent her into a frenzy, and it was all she could do not to beg him to stop playing around and _get the fuck on with it_.

Her head jerked back and she arched into the touch, her hips rocking against his seeking fingers. Her mouth frantically slid over her lover's neck as she nipped and licked across his firm jawline. His lips effortlessly stole her breath away even as his fingers made her pant and squirm with want until the friction was just too much. Her loud cries were muffled against his shoulder as she came, and he deliberately flicked his fingers over her sensitive clit as he withdrew his hand.

Her broken moan was met with his satisfied grunt, and she scowled and impatiently jerked his belt undone before reaching down to free him from his underwear. Her hand's firm grasp made him hiss, and she smirked playfully as she sucked and nibbled at his sensitive ear lobes while her busy hands caressed him. His hands tugged her hips flush against his own and she wasted no time in squirming herself into position so that he was angled directly at her warm heat.

"Impatient," he rumbled in amusement, then he pushed her hand away to grasp himself and began to tease her by nudging against her folds.

Her eyes narrowed. She did_ not_ appreciate that right now and her harsh tug to his hair illustrated that sentiment perfectly. His sly smirk goaded her and she made a sharp, undulating movement; they both groaned in unison as he finally entered her, filling her to the brim. Warm hands grasped and kneaded her bottom in his hands, waiting for her to adjust. After a moment, her jerky undulations and needy impatient sounds were almost even with his harsh groans, then he lifted her almost completely off of him before unceremoniously pulling her back down onto him. Every so often his hips rotated as he thrust up into her, and her breath hitched in response; she was pretty sure that her harsh breathing sounded more like desperate sobbing at this point. The deep, slow strokes were filling that aching need just right, and driving her fucking crazy with the desire for _more_.

_This_ is what Ino had seen for them; this depth, this _connection_.

"Feels so good," he managed between clenched teeth, and jerked her down further so that the angle changed.

"T-tease," she groaned, grinding onto him as he quickened the pace, and her arms gripped his shoulders in order to hang on.

"Returning the favor," Gaara gasped when she clenched around him in revenge.

They had a_ lot_ more bonding to do.

...

* * *

"Fuck, that was _wild,_" Ino whispered happily, gathering her hair away from her face. Gaara grunted in agreement, not even attempting to move his face from the valley of her generous breasts.

Ino closed her eyes, soaking up the post-coital bliss for a few moments as they waited for their bodies to stop quivering with the aftershocks of pleasure. After a while, the blonde opened her eyes, and met a single button eye that seemed oddly accusing.

"Oh dear," she giggled, and nudged Gaara off of her (despite his growled protests) to reach out and grasp the bear. "I don't think Mr. Fuzzems liked the show we put on."

Uncaring, Gaara peered through one eye and glared at the offending stuffed animal before snorting. "I can't believe you kept that old thing," he muttered, but Ino had known him for too long now to be fooled by his uncaring persona. He was touched, and the way he rubbed at his face was meant to hide the pleased smile he was probably sporting.

Teasingly, Ino trailed her index finger up his side, lips quirking as his body twitched with the need to suppress his instinctive shiver. "That's no way to treat the man who got us together," she chastised playfully.

"Oh?"

"Mhm." Ino rolled herself so that it was easier for Gaara to grasp her and grinned when his arms immediately pulled her in; he was _such_ a shameless cuddler. "If you hadn't given me Mr. Fuzzems to comfort me, then I never would have fallen in love with you," she declared with utmost certainty.

For a moment it was eerily silent, and Ino held her breath. _Had she gone too fast again? Was she wrong about them? _

A deep, rumbling chuckle echoed from Gaara behind her, lightly vibrating her small form. Relieved, she turned in his arms and buried her face in his neck, reveling in his subtle, warm scent and the feel of his blunt fingers running through her hair as his long legs tangled with her own.

"I guess I owe him for giving me the best thing in my life," Gaara mumbled, skimming his lips over her bared shoulders.

"Damn straight!" Ino crowed, and proceeded to prove just why she was the best thing _eve_r in his life.

...

* * *

A/N: Please let me know how I did; I'm new to het scenes so I'd like tips for improvement. Also I'm still looking for a beta. I have two big multi-chapter fics in the planning stages but I can't really post them until they've been properly edited. Both are het. But I write yaoi as well. ._.


End file.
